


A Different Consequence

by ilyena_sylph, Merfilly



Category: DCU - Comicverse
Genre: Alternate Reality, Angst, Future Fic, Kid Fic, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-30
Updated: 2013-03-30
Packaged: 2017-12-06 22:24:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/740818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ilyena_sylph/pseuds/ilyena_sylph, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merfilly/pseuds/Merfilly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the reunion, Dinah is caught by a tragedy</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Different Consequence

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Consequences and Truth](https://archiveofourown.org/works/740787) by [ilyena_sylph](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ilyena_sylph/pseuds/ilyena_sylph), [Merfilly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merfilly/pseuds/Merfilly). 



> This was a heartless fork off of DuncanVerse that was NEVER meant to be continuity, but one I had to write to get out of my system. Thankfully, Ilyena_Sylph understood.

Dinah listened dully to what the doctor said, even as her mind was turning inward, away from the reality crashing in on her. She nodded slowly, and then made her way from the office, going home to curl up in bed as the pain was compounded emotionally. 

`~`~`~`~`

Duncan let his mother stay in her room for one full day, then debated whom to call. In the past, it would have been Roy, but now…he knew his father cared what happened, and it had been several nights since he stopped by.

Without a second thought, he left the apartment for the streets to have privacy, and pulled his phone and dialed the contact number his sister had given him. //Please. Pick up.//

"What's happened?" The voice was gruff, concerned if you knew how to hear it, and there was a sound of gulls in the background.

"There's something wrong with mom. She wasn't feeling good, went in to the doc... and she hasn't come out of her room since she got home. She won't talk to me." He realized too late that he sounded just about as scared as he felt.

"I'll be there around nightfall." Slade could finish his business and reach them at least that soon. "Call me if she decides to leave."

He barely managed to bite back the sigh of relief that his father was coming. "Will do… Don't think it's likely, though. She shut off all her gear."

"Just be calm until then. And…might be best to plan to go some where else, boy."

"Once you get here. I'll go crash at Dick's." If things got bad, he didn't want to be around. "I'm going to head back in. See you soon, dad." The phone went dead, as Slade turned back to business, pushing Dinah from his mind.

Duncan shoved his phone back in his pocket and went back in to sit outside his mother's door and listen, just in case she finally spoke.

`~`~`~`~`

The sun was only barely down, when Slade stepped onto the fire escape outside his lover's window. He noted the curtains were drawn, but nothing was warning his senses of any tricks; Duncan's emotions had been too real. He noted the alarm was still off, and opened the window, getting in and past the curtains. His eye adjusted slowly; it was dark in the room, with no light but the sliver from beneath the door…which revealed exactly where his son was. He saw Dinah on the bed, not moving, just curled on her side, around a pillow, possibly asleep, but definitely not responsive to his entry. 

He checked, saw she was breathing, and then crossed to the door, speaking low. "Kid, go on, I'm here now."

"Okay, dad." He slid to his feet and headed for the door, leaving quietly to go over to his teacher's and beg couch space. The downstairs apartment might still be too close.

Once he knew his son was gone, he walked to the bed and settled on to it carefully, close behind her back, watching her intently for any sign of reaction. He got it in a sign he had not expected from her, with the way she had been since their reunion. She tensed, drawing in tighter on the pillow.

"Little bird?" he asked her softly, stopping the immediate urge to reach out for her.

She closed her eyes from their unseeing stare, burrowing her face into the pillow as fresh tears came, a reaction to that voice, the one that said so many things the words could not.

At that, at the tears he could see in her shaking shoulders, he moved, lifting her into his arms, then settled against the headboard. He was unaccustomed to fear, but the sight of his strong lover like this, with Duncan's words echoing in the back of his mind, wrapped cold fear around his heart.

At being moved, she was slow to react, then the security he brought outweighed the deep depression dragging her down, letting her wrap tightly around him, the sobs continuing softly. She had to cry it out, to get it clear, even if it meant being weak to him.

He held her, one arm tight around her back, the other holding her head against his chest, fingers slowly moving through her hair. "Ssh," he said softly, but only once. She obviously needed this, and better his shirt and skin than the pillow. The low "I'm here," was equally soft, a simple reminder to her that she was safe, and then he quieted until her tears ceased.

It took her some time, before she grew quiet and merely lay in his arms, almost lifeless in her complete despondency. He noted, even in her sobs, she occasionally tensed and tightened, muscles all pulling inward toward her stomach.

"Dinah." Her real name, rare from him, in a tone more laden with worry than she had ever heard, "What is it?"

She turned her face into his chest, but her hand twined with one of his, drawing it down to her abdomen, near the scar.

It took only moments for his mind to flicker through the conversation they'd had the afternoon after she'd told him to stay, one or two other times when their passion had overridden their sense, her utter agony now, and his gut twisted with pain for her sake. She would not be distraught over another pregnancy, not as proud as she was of Duncan. "Oh, my little bird," he breathed softly, letting his hand rest with hers.

"Said it's highly unlikely I could have one now," she whispered. "Didn't even know until it was too late, but oh, Slade…" 

He shook his head, arms tightening around her, struggling for the words to say to this woman, his love, in the face of this loss. "Ssh, Dinah, ssh..." There was grief in his own voice. Another child by him might not have been wise for her sake, but the loss of the chance stung, would sting more when he allowed himself to think of it. "I'm sorry, little bird..." he whispered against her hair.

"Haven't told Duncan. Can't. Don't want him to know it, but … " She burrowed into his arms. "Just don't want to face it."

"He's afraid for you," Slade told her, holding her tighter when she pressed closer. "Which? This loss, or the doctor's words? Or both?" He didn't agree with the choice not to tell their son, but that could be discussed much later.

She sniffled and looked up at him. "I wanted, in the few hours I suspected I was pregnant, to give you the child I denied you, and then I learned that I had already lost that chance again, that I might not ever be able to?"

He'd walked through minefields less dangerous than this, he knew. She was so damaged, right now, that one misplaced word would do such damage... and comfort had never been his strong point. He freed a hand and lifted it to her face, wiping her tears away gently as he thought quickly.

She pressed into that touch, kissing the palm of his hand. "Silly of me," she sniffed. "Acting so strung out over…" She could not finish, could not make herself push it away that she might have been a mother again. 

"Stop, Dinah. It is not." He knew what she was attempting, and it did not please him. Locking her grief away would only make it strike her harder later, he knew her well enough to be sure of that. "We just lost a child, and a chance. You have a right to grief."

She drew herself to a kneeling position in front of him, eyes locking on his face for a long moment. "I…" She covered her mouth, and leaned her forehead into his shoulder, the 'we just lost a child' echoing in her ears. "Thank you," she whispered.

His hands slid down her shoulders, fingers light on her, shaking his head slightly at her thanks. It was the truth. He stroked her back again, gently, and tried to coax her back down against him.

"Stay with me tonight?" she asked, a rarity for her. "Just…let me sleep safe?"

"Of course, Dinah." If she had thought he might leave her like this....

She laid down, her head going to his shoulder when he shifted down in the bed. Her fingers ran over his shirt in idle patterns. "I didn't mean to worry anyone." She had to shift again, as the cramping intensified. "I just didn't know how to handle it."

He stroked her back, finally taking to time to remove the boots and settle comfortably with her. "It will be all right. Duncan will forgive you." //You should have called me,// rested unspoken on his tongue.

"I wanted…" She cut herself off, and then drew in a deep breath. "I wanted you."

"I came when I knew," he said, instead of what he would have preferred. "I'm here."

She closed her eyes, feeling all too frail in his arms. "Yes, you are." Her hands closed convulsively on him, as if she were in the middle of a dream and he might just vanish.

"I'm here, my little bird," he said softly, hands stroking down her back. He reviewed his contracts mentally, looking for anything date-specific. "As long as you need." //Barring something next month, but you should be... better, by then.//

She shook her head, pulling some of her strength back to her. "Just tonight, love…just tonight." Her voice was drowsy; she had not caught the endearment, something she had slipped out only when very secure and quite tired in his hearing.

"We'll see," he replied softly, stroking her gently, helping to ease her into sleep. He could see to getting her under the blankets once she was safely asleep.

`~`~`~`~`

Duncan trotted up towards his uncles' place, and rapped at the door, doing his very best casual no-there's-nothing-wrong. 

Dick blinked, looked at the door, and raised an eyebrow at his lover. "We expecting company?"

"No." Roy shifted, hand moving to one of the smaller crossbows as Dick rose to answer the door.

Dick frowned and went to the door, looking out. A look of startled surprise crossed his face and he yanked it open. "Duncan? What's up?" 

Roy studied him, frowning deeply. "Yeah, stick boy, what's up?"

"Can I come in?" Annoyed fifteen-year-old voice, and Dick got out of the way to let him in.

"Sorry."

"It's okay. Can I borrow your couch for the night?"

"It's okay by me, but you have to tell us why," Roy said with a casual air, fighting the feeling of foreboding with everything he had.

"What? I can't just prefer staying with my favorite uncles for a change?" //Mom will kill me if I freak you out.// 

"Duncan, you're not a good enough liar to fool both of us yet. What's wrong?" 

Roy moved so that they both had him bracketed, serious looks cutting through his defenses. "Come on kid; you've always trusted us before."

He looked helplessly at both of them, shaking his head, then he shot a long look upwards. 

Dick sighed, and went to go piss off his ex by shutting off her feeds. "There. Now freaking talk."

"Nice little words so I understand," Roy intimidated.

Duncan sighed. "If I knew what in God's name was wrong, I would tell you. But I don't."

"Dinah?" Roy's chest felt tight. "Why are you here, then?!" He reached for his keys.

"It's okay. It's covered," Duncan said quickly, catching his arm and shaking his head. 

Dick's eyes narrowed at that. "Dunca--no. How about you tell us what the heck you do know?"

Roy smacked the boy in the back of the head. "Yeah! Before you start worrying the hell out of us!" //Why the hell did she let him back in her life?!// 

 

Duncan ducked out from under the slap--mostly. "You two asked," he reminded them that he'd tried not to worry them. "Anyway. Yesterday morning, mom said she didn't feel right, and headed for her doc. She came home, dropped her turned-off comm. gear on the countertop, ruffled my hair and shook her head when I asked what was wrong, and went to her room. I haven't seen her since."

Roy shook his head. "Oh man. That explains why O's been in a snit since yesterday morning," he said. "No clue at all, D?" 

He shook his head. "I know she's in there. She'd talk back to me a little, if I called to her." //And I could hear her crying.// That scared him. "I gave her a day, and gave up and called Dad."

Dick gave him a long look. "And?" 

"He finally got here, and told me to leave."

Roy rose to pace, not liking it in the least. "Great. She's holed up, unfit mentally and possibly very sick, with... well, shit, Duncan, I'm really not happy about this!"

The kid shrugged at him, "I'd have called you, but you don't get to barge into her bedroom. Dad does. It made sense to me at the time." And, well, he thought a lot higher of his father than his uncle did. 

Dick sighed. "He's got a point, Roy."

Green eyes snapped with vexation, but Duncan had a point. If he had forced his way in, Dinah would have reacted very violently, no matter her state of mind. How well Slade had fared on that…briefly, Roy paled with memories long since pushed away. Surely that was a bridge his everything-female had already crossed with Slade, considering how forceful a personality the man had. 

"She'd better call here by morning," he growled. 

"I hope so," Duncan replied, looking every bit as worried as he felt. 

Dick nodded. "I'm going to go turn stuff back on before O has a fit. So can it, Roy."

"Whatever, Short Pants." He slipped a leash on his annoyance.

Duncan tried to clear his expression at least a little, before the monitors went back on.

`~`~`~`~` 

Dinah hung up her phone, and walked slowly to the bathroom, running a shower. She took her time, half expecting Slade to leave now that she was up and moving, but came back to find him expecting her to lay right back down. 

"Told Duncan he could come home," she whispered, burrowing under the covers as he held them up. 

"Are you going to tell him?" He curled his arm back around her. The question had been a gentle one.

"Do you really think it makes that much a difference to him what kind of ailment put me in bed for a day and a half?" She nuzzled into his strong body.

"Yes, I do... I'm surprised he wasn't badgering you for details over the phone, as worried as he sounded." He stroked her back gently. //And he needs to know to keep an eye on you.//

"Then when he gets here, I'll... try." She closed her eyes again, somewhat exhausted still.

"If you'd rather I told him..."

She nodded. "It would be...easier. I'm still rattled."

He gently tugged her head up, kissing her gently, then nodded once. "Then I will." He kept her close, hand running over her hair.

`~`~`~`~`

"Did the boy tell you anything useful?" Oracle's voice asked as Duncan left the house. She was trying to keep her irritation in check and just show concern, as nearly two days of radio silence with Canary took its toll.

Dick shook his head, knowing she'd see it. "No. He got ordered out of the house, is all I know. And that phone call was short... You've got no idea?"

"No. Dinah has a standing deal with her doctor to keep her records non-electronic," Oracle told him. "Unless the reason she is there is 'work' related."

That was bizarre, for her not to know what was going on with Dinah. //Other than well, Duncan's parentage...// "Oh. That explains it." //Not a bad idea,// he filed it for later consideration. "And this wasn't, I take it."

"No. She threw up on patrol the other night, and thought she might have a virus," Oracle said. "She promised a trip to the doctor after calling it an early night. Left her gear with her clothes through an exam, then turned me completely off very brusquely as she was leaving for home. The gear is still sitting on her kitchen counter."

"D mentioned that, yeah. Once she actually surfaces, let me know so Roy can head over, he's going crazy."

"I will, Dick." The worry grew stronger in her voice. "I just hope…her mother's cancer was always blamed on that final fight, but…Dinah's been exposed to some pretty nasty things over the years." She did not want to think about her partner's mortality anymore than she did about any of them.

"Shit. God, I hope you're wrong." He went back to biting at the side of his thumbnail. Duncan had his parents, damn it.

"Sorry, Dick…I've had too much time to stew on this," she said softly. "And no way to get to her and find out!" That was her real frustration. "I'll let you know if she gets up and moving."

"It's okay, Babs. I know it's making you crazy. Good. Talk to you then, redheaded girl."

`~`~`~`~`

Slade noted Dinah had slipped back into sleep, a more restful one than she had achieved the night before, as Duncan came and stood outside the door.

"Dad?" very soft voice, as he turned the knob, opening it just slightly.

"Come in, boy," the man said, glad when Dinah just shifted further into his hold on her. "She's asleep," he added at Duncan's glance. "Real sleep."

He slipped in and nodded, walking over to drop down beside the bed, not touching her, much as he wanted to. "What's wrong?" he whispered softly, looking up at his father worriedly.

Slade looked at the boy, seeing a little more of his mother in him just then. "She was sick because of a pregnancy," the man began. "But she was already miscarrying by the time she went to the doctor." He kept his voice low, as neutral as he could, not dwelling on her reactions.

"Oh, mom..." His lips tightened. "That explains how broken up she was." He didn't want to wake her, but if she were sleeping through their voices, surely his touch wouldn't hurt... His hand crept to her shoulder, blue eyes dark. //I was right. She needed you.//

The woman did not flinch from the touch, barely making a sound that acknowledged it. Slade nodded slowly. "She'll need an eye on her for a few days, but I think she's coping more now." 

He petted her shoulder worriedly, nodding at his father. "Okay. I can do that. ...She'll be okay, right?"

His father nodded. "Physically, she'll bounce back." He refused to believe that Dinah's doctor had been correct on her future childbearing. Even if she never chose to do so, Slade would remind her that doctors were not always right. "Emotionally, she might need a little more support." That was all he would say on that, not wanting to get back into that quagmire.

Duncan nodded, his hand still on his mother's shoulder. He'd probably screw this up at some point--what did a fifteen-year-old know about this?--but he'd try. He resettled more comfortably, hand never leaving her shoulder.

Slade closed his one eye; he would never understand how dealing with an emotional female could leave a person more tired than a full night's fight. "Just try to be around here for a few days, more than usual." He turned more toward Dinah when she pressed closer, keeping an arm over her protectively. "Think you can make that partner of hers settle down without spilling the real reason? Something tells me she'd get nosey if you mention a pregnancy."

//Okay, no I'm not.// "I'll go see what I can do..." He slipped his hand from her shoulder, and headed back out of his mother's bedroom. //Man, do I Not want to do this...// He picked up the comm. link anyway.

"Duncan?" Oracle's voice was right there; she was obviously paying close attention to those monitors. "How is your mother?"

"Better," there was a very great deal of relief in his voice. "She's finally asleep."

Oracle let a breath of her own out. "What happened? Did she tell you?" 

"Not really... doesn't seem like she wants to talk. Said it was nothing permanent, though." //Well, dad did. That counts.// 

"Okay…I'll be patient then," Oracle told him. "If you need anything, you have full access to her expense accounts."

"Thanks, O." He flashed a grin up at a camera. "Catcha later?"

"Yes." Oracle was already pulling up Dick's connection to tell him.

It took no time flat for Dick to answer that summons right now. "Yeah?"

"She's not talking about it to Duncan, but she is sleeping, and told him it's not permanent." The redhead was slightly frustrated, but it was better than nothing. "He seemed…more relieved than worried now."

"Whew. Okay. That's good news. Need anything?"

"No…let your mate know." She knew her curiosity would be sated just as soon as Roy opted to go digging on his own.

"Thank, Babs." He went to go find Roy... //yup. Still in the gym.//

"What's up, Short Pants? Duncan call yet?" Roy stilled the speed punch bag to look at his life partner.

"Duncan didn't, Babs did. Dinah's asleep, and whatever's wrong, it's not permanent." His hands flickered, low against his body. /If that's all D knows I'll... eat my boots, but it's all he told O./ 

Roy shook his head. "We're going over there, tonight." He would be damned if he stayed away just because of the… He chopped the thought off; Dinah had honestly seemed happy, more at peace. //I don't know how, but he makes her feel something Ollie even lost after the early years.//

"She said she'd call once Di was up, Roy, and of course we're going." 

Roy grunted, then turned back to the bag, working through his aggravation with another round through the gym.

"Leave the bag alone and come spar with me, Bowhead."

"That…would not be smart right now." Roy was suppressing a tremendous amount of anger right now, anger over Slade's interference in his life, and Dick…Dick was touched by the man in ways that defied Roy's sense of what was right.

Dick glared at the back of his head, then sighed. "Okay, have it your way," and went to throw himself at the uneven bars. Roy wasn't the only one that was worried.

`~`~`~`~`

Slade roused as Dinah shifted in his arms, her eyes open. By the light coming in by the curtains' edge, it was mid afternoon.

"Hi." She smiled softly. "Sorry."

He shook his head at her. "Don't be," and his hand stroked down her back again.

She pressed a small kiss to his chest. "Thank you for staying with me, Slade." She slowly sat up. "I needed you here."

Slade sat up along with her. "As though I would leave?" The look in his eye was.. complicated, to say the least. Affection, annoyance, and concern all in one. That got him a slow, leisurely kiss, before she stood up from the bed.

"I think I want another shower. And then I should check on the shop. And make a few calls." She settled firmly into business mode. "Duncan come home?"

"Yes. And knows what happened." //Frustrating woman. You are not all right. But I'll leave it.// "Do you want company, or should I wait?"

She shook her head. "I think alone." She felt a need to scrub her skin far more than he might approve of, just to get the lingering feelings that it was her fault she had lost their child away.

He nodded. He'd expected as much, honestly, but despite the strong face she was putting up, she might not have wanted to be alone.

"I'll leave the door open, if you need to speak to me," she said, from the door to her bathroom. She then smiled one more time before going and tending her shower. She noted her physical responses were lessening; the doctor had said they would, and to come back if they did not. 

//Stubborn, stubborn woman,// he thought at her, then let himself just listen to her with half an ear as he thought about various things he needed to take care of.

She was in the water…cold, he noted…for twenty minutes before she came out and immediately set about dressing. She glanced at him on exiting the bathroom, as if reassuring herself he was still there.

He went to her and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder once she'd finished, testing her reaction as well as reassuring her. The reaction he got was an immediate turn, a move into his physical space that spoke of continued neediness. She rested her head on his chest, her arms loose around his waist.

"Slade?"

"Yes?" He settled his hands in damp hair and at the small of her back, keeping her close.

"If…if it ever happened again…" She bit her words off. "No…I'm sorry." She started to pull away.

He didn't let her go, and the hand in her hair tipped her face up gently. "Dinah. If you want another child... docs are typically pessimistic. And you have more options than others might." With the medical technology available to her through her connections, he was relatively certain there would be a way.

She looked down with her eyes. "It's not even that I actively want one, Slade." Her voice caught slightly, broken there at the end. "It's just if we did have another…" She stopped herself again, not wanting to ask him to take her away, hide her somewhere so she could raise a child with him, without their differences in ideology to war with.

He stroked her jaw, down the side of her throat, and held her. "Yes?" He could hear something in her voice, in the hesitations and things unsaid, but didn't know what it was, what she was thinking.

She shook her head. "Nothing, Slade." She pulled herself together, fighting away might-have-beens. "I've got things I need to get to. Put my work off too long." Her blue eyes were guarded now; she could not afford to let herself give away so much. 

"All right, little bird." On this, right now, he would not push her. She pushed up on tiptoes, kissing his lips lightly. 

"I've probably kept you longer than I should," she said, adjusting her thoughts to the concept of him leaving, when her heart just wanted to hold him right there and have him close all day. 

"I'm not busy, at the moment." //You're not pushing me away, little bird. We talked about that.//

"Hmm, but if I cut the cameras out, Oracle's sure to get twitchy," she purred, as if that were the only thought she had concerning Slade's continued presence. "You can't stay in my bedroom all day, and I can't either." She ran a hand up into his hair, twining her leg around his as she stretched up his body for another kiss. 

He kissed her back, sure and easy, and slowly pulled away. "Unfortunately true. And given where the boy stayed last night, you'll probably have company soon." He shrugged slightly. "I can always come back once you've dealt with them."

Her entire body seemed to light up at the idea he would come back. "I…would like that very much, Slade." She picked up her brush to tend to her mass of hair.

Reason enough. "Then I will." Letting her tend to her hair, he found the store of clothes he'd left with her and went to shower before he left.

She waited for him, something odd enough, he knew. Most of the time, she would find reason to be out of the room before he left, her not so subtle attempt to try and not let his comings and goings affect her so much. As he went to the window, she followed him, pressing close with a kiss that spoke of far more passion than she would be physically up to following through on for a few more days.

It was a long while before he pulled away and smiled at her. "See you tonight, my little bird."

`~`~`~`~`

Dinah picked up her jewelry and put it on.

"Talking to me now?"

"Oracle, I'm sorry…the news I got hit me hard." Dinah had taken a deep breath and worked out what she would say. "I had a little bit of a feminine problem, more than just a virus. Something wrong with the works. And the doc said it was likely going to stop me from having any more kids." She shook her head. "I know…means very little in the long run. Not like I'm getting any more younger, but I kinda thought I'd one day find the right man, settle down, do the family thing like Mom did." //Only the right man is a mass-murderer, and I could never ask him to give me a stable home like that.//

"Oh." Oracle gave some thought to that, and breathed a sigh of relief. "I can understand losing your dreams."

"I know you can, Oracle…I know. But it's not something I can deal with or wanted to talk about. At all. So let's just get back to business. I'll patrol tonight."

"Like hell you will." Oracle put a sharp edge in her voice. "You're benched until you give me a doctor's note that you're one hundred percent again."

Dinah hesitated, then nodded briefly. "Deal." She wasn't arguing. If she did not have to patrol, Slade would have more time with her…on the nights he came.

"Try to be careful." Oracle cut the link, sitting back in her tower a moment. "At least it's nothing permanent…my ass." She cut Roy's link in, and heard him in the middle of a heavy sparring session; Dick had finally gotten his way, after all. She cut it back out; she did not like to intrude when they got intimate through fighting or sex. They would just have to find out from the source.

`~`~`~`~`

Duncan came out of his room as his mother said "deal", and went to her, looking at her with big, sad eyes as he reached out for her. She pulled him into her arms, showing as she turned off the gear. Her hug was fierce, even if she felt more fragile than she should in his arms.

"Hi baby boy…want to take your ma somewhere for lunch?"

"Sure. What're you in the mood for?" Any other time, he might have growled at that 'baby boy' comment, but not right now.

"Thai?" She smiled wanly; the hotter, the spicier, the more of a comfort food it was, he knew.

"Sure. I could go for gaeng hanglay, whatever you decide." The strong, spiced beef dish was a personal favorite. His mother could have her vegetables all she wanted. She smiled at him and headed for the door. 

"Did you check on the shop this morning, or should I before we go?" She had the flower shop set up with good clerks, but she preferred to keep a strong presence in it.

"I checked, mom. Everything's running fine." He trailed her, watching for pain. //I have got to get to a library, damn it.//

She took his arm as they headed out, walking up the street to the Thai place they depended on. "Duncan. I'm sorry I worried you…I did not know how to tell you what was wrong with me…or how it was hitting me." 

"It's... it's okay, momma. You scared me, though." He leaned close to her. "I did right, calling dad?"

She smiled, nodding. "Perfect, Duncan. Because I needed to tell him." She could not begin healing until she had, she realized. "Would it have bothered you, if I had…" She could not quite finish, and he saw the raw emotional edges still there.

"If I'd wound up with a kid brother or sister? Nah, mom. It'd be fine. I'd have worried about you, but..." He shrugged, then stopped and hugged her close, ignoring the rest of the people on the sidewalk. "I'm so sorry, momma..." She hugged him tightly.

"I'd leave this, just to give him that chance to raise a child, like I should have with you," she whispered. "But it's not who he is." She pulled herself back under control, made them start walking again. 

He considered that as they walked, and had to admit that he couldn't exactly see his father with a baby, or even a little child. It just... didn't seem to go together, even if he had been there when Joey was little. He kept his hand on her as they moved. "Yeah... I dunno..." He shrugged again, then pulled the door open for her. "Might surprise you. Might not. Yeah, I know, real helpful." 

She grinned. "It's meant more than I can ever tell him, just that he was there all night."

Duncan smiled back, relieved to see her looking better, and happier yet that he'd made the right choice. "He wasn't going to leave you." That had been blatantly obvious.

She smiled at the person behind the counter, and got one back as she called for the usual in their dialect. She and Duncan sat to wait, then she cocked her head to the side.

"You're a great son," she praised him. "And I was wrong to shut you out. So, we're okay now?"

"Yeah, we're okay--but don't scare me like that again!" He smiled to let her know it really was okay. He kind of got why she couldn't handle telling him, especially all alone. "Are you okay?"

"Fine, mother hen," she said easily. "Got my head on straight, and doing fine."

He snorted, not quite believing that, and changed the topic to another question. "Dad leave again?"

"Coming back tonight, after my other mother hen leaves," Dinah said, with a snort. "Or has the universe tilted precariously and we won't be invaded by the Harper-Grayson pair?"

Duncan laughed at her. "Not a chance, mom. He's freaked. And well, teach isn't a lot better."

Dinah shook her head. "Remind me to have my nervous breakdowns more privately," she teased.

"Riight. Privacy's something we get to have?" He refrained from mentioning that if he'd known what was going on, this could have been avoided.

Dinah laughed at that, before settling in with their food as it arrived. She kept the rest of the conversation light, on subjects he knew were not truly taking up the priority in her brain. He glimpsed it here and there in her eyes that she was still shifting her mind away from what had happened.

He wasn't going to push her, especially not in public, but he was very glad his father was going to be there tonight.

"Probably ought to call them," he mentioned as they were leaving the table.

"Why don't you?" Dinah said softly. "Just tell them I 'm okay."

"They're not going to listen," he told her, but picked up the phone anyway.

She sighed softly, took the phone from him, and dialed Roy's number.

Two rings, and "Duncan?" Her boy sounded like he'd been in the middle of something, breath coming hard.

"Dinah, actually, Boy-o."

"Di? You okay? What the hell's going on?" 

"I had some bad news, Boy-o…and it freaked me out," she told him gently. "Look, it's fine, now, and I'm up and out of the house."

"Planning on heading back anytime soon?" The tone told her he wasn't about to just let this pass.

"Was going home with Duncan, but I could meet you somewhere." She would not speak of this in any monitored household, for Slade's sake.

"Mm... our favorite hangout?" Loud, noisy, it ought to be perfect for something she didn't want to talk about at home. //Okay, you son of a bitch, what did you do to her life this time?//

"See you in a bit," she promised him, before hanging up and giving Duncan his phone back. "Flag me a cab, hon?" She did not feel up to walking to the gym.

"Sure." He was getting good at that trick... and having mom standing right there didn't hurt a bit. He handed her into it. "See you?"

"Yeah…straight home after I settle my archer down." She kissed his cheek. "Why don't you see if you can hook up with some of the street level kids and work out a patrol with them for a week or two?"

"Sounds good. O benched ya, huh?" He grinned at her. That wouldn't take long; he knew where they ran, and it was a perfect opportunity to be gone for a while. He shut the door and headed off.

`~`~`~`~`

Dinah was sitting on a bench, smiling like the bubble headed blonde some mistook her for as two young boxers tried to hit on her. She did not get down here as often, and looked nowhere near her true age, so it was inevitable. Ted wasn't in; he spent more time with Jay now that Joan had passed away.

Roy walked in, eyes finding her immediately and he walked straight to her, tension in his step. Dick was right behind him, more relaxed, but not much. Roy's eyes flicked from one young kid to the other, and he tilted his head sharply, telling them to scram.

The two cut out fast; Roy was well known in here. Dinah cocked her head up at them.

"I know I worried you, but no need to keep worrying after I say I'm fine."

He dropped onto the bench beside her. "Dinah, you'd say you were fine with a sucking chest wound," he told her as he took her hands. "What's going on?" 

Dick had taken up a spot a foot or so away, and people were giving them plenty of space.

"I…I had a miscarriage." She trembled as she admitted it. "Don't…don't lecture that it should not have happened in the first place."

//Fuck!// "Oh, Di." He pulled her into his arms, hand stroking down her hair, biting back everything else he might have said. "I... damn." He held her tight, almost rocking her. 

Dick's eyes went huge. //Oh, god. Aww, Dinah...//

"I know what a complication it would have been, but…Duncan's a wonderful boy," she pointed out. She hugged him tight, then pulled back. "I didn't know how to cope with it."

"No, I guess not..." he let her go, barely, and looked at her with dark eyes. "I'm sorry, Dinah. Really sorry." 

"Me, too," came Dick's soft voice. She looked at him, then back to Roy before nodding slowly.

"He stayed with me, made me talk through it."

He kept his eyes from flaring at that, still struggling with how he felt about that man's place in his Dinah's life... but the father of the child she'd lost had been the best choice to comfort her. "Good. Glad of it... seems like it helped some?" //Huh. Didn't think he had it in him.//

She looked at Dick for her answer. "I think it bothered him, both what happened, and how I reacted." She shook her head, looking down. "Made myself very weak…"

Dick went to her, then, settling on a knee in front of her, shaking his head. "Probably did upset him." His hand settled on her knee. "You were hurting. It'll be all right." He knew exactly why that was bothering her. Slade both expected and demanded strength, she was afraid she'd lost face. 

Roy muttered, "Weak, my ass." 

His mutter made her laugh, tears at the corners of her eyes, but the smile genuine. "You put too much faith in me, Boy-o." She then patted Dick's hand. "I'm sure you're right…and I can always show him better when I get moving good again," she said lightly. "So, everything is fine, it was just a little thing, me being me, and all that. No more worries."

"It's not a little thing, Dinah." Their voices blurred over each other, muddying the words slightly and making them trade amused smiles. Dick shrugged and let Roy keep talking. "But you'll be okay. I know you will."

"Yep." She tipped her chin up. "And if I didn't know better than to be up there, I'd show that kid up there a proper Ted cross." She pointed to the two in the ring closest to them, turning the attention off herself.

"Did screw it up, didn't he?" Roy said, watching them. "Sheesh." 

Dick was startled by her sudden good sense, but wasn't about to say it. She stayed there with them a little while longer, before letting Roy get her another cab to go home, a promise to be good on her lips. Roy watched the cab pull away, knowing how rare it was for her to let someone else drive her anywhere.

Dick laid a hand on his shoulder. "C'mon. Let's head home." There were no cameras in their bedroom, any more than there were in Dinah's, and he knew his redhead needed to talk. 

Roy nodded. "Dick...he's really interested in her, isn't he? More than just..."

"Oh, yeah." He'd had a few conversations with Slade since they'd gotten back together (distressingly normal phrase for the situation), and though the talks had been about Duncan, Slade's powerful interest in the mother of his child had come through anyway. "She's got him good." 

Roy took a deep breath; he could imagine his life, if Jade and he had been truly, strongly attached, and she had made any effort to keep her work out of their lives. Back then, Dick had been with someone else, and Lian…Lian had needed her mother, it had always seemed to him.

"It's hard to accept."

"I know. Hell, it's hard to believe." Even Dick had to admit that. Everything they'd seen of Slade since Joey died had been the professional, the arrogantly controlled mercenary... to think that the little blonde had wrapped him so thoroughly in her grasp was startling... but then again, there had been hints of it. "Then again, she's beautiful, smart, confident and dangerous... just his type."

"He makes her light up the way Ollie did, way back…" Roy shook his head violently. "Oh well."

"It'll be okay, Roy," Dick said, wrapping an arm around him. "They're smart. Stupid about each other, maybe, but..." he shrugged. "That's life." //And love.//

`~`~`~`~`


End file.
